Check Out Ivan Pelly’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivan Pelly.

Hi Ivan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
One day in 2015, I tore through an entire box of Trader Joes Chia Seed Bars with Cranberries in one sitting. Each bar was the size of a large postage stamp, and, in a low blood sugar frenzy, I ate them all. As I surveyed the damage (a shredded box, and wrappers everywhere), I thought to myself, “Dang, that’s a lot of packaging. Maybe I should make my own.” And so I did. The original Almond Macadamia ivan.bar originated in my kitchen. No corners were cut. This was, and still is, a substantial and delicious shot of nutrition, rich in seeds and nuts. My creation leaked out to friends and family, and I was asked for the recipe, for refills, and for the location of the nearest place to purchase. The lightbulb moment was when my friend Steve inquired, “Hey, remember those bars you gave me a couple of months ago. Are you still making those?” Brownies don’t make that kind of impression. I figured, well, let’s give this a try. Lo these many years later, we sell the ivan.bar all over the country, ship internationally, and sponsor athletes and events of all types, including a 2800 mile trans-Pacific rowing event in June of 2023 to a competitor in the X-Alps event, also this summer. Professional athletes and active folks of all stripes concur that this bar is the real deal – filling, delicious and good for you. Food industry experts cluck and say, “Bars, that’s a crowded category.” And it is, but so is acting, and yet Meryl Streep isn’t worried about her prospects. People gotta eat, so there will always be room for the best.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I describe this adventure as an experiment that hasn’t failed yet. The endeavor has had its ups and downs, for sure, but mostly ups. Covid was perhaps the biggest obstacle – not having Covid, so much, but the pandemic itself, and associated closing down of offices and retail establishments. No one wanted to meet – at all – must less talk about bars. But the upside has been the extraordinary series of amazing people I’ve met along the way. It’s inspiring how all-in so many folks are for helping, promoting, testimonial-izing. And serendipity has played a key role. There are many examples of meeting someone who introduced me to someone else, who opened a door to making a sale and, more importantly, a relationship.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My “other life” is spent as a software engineer, and, in many ways, it’s very different from being an entrepreneur in the food industry. But there is overlap. I need to problem-solve. I need to anticipate adverse scenarios. I need to worry about scaling up. And one commonality that just occurred to me – in both lives, I build things, whether it’s slick software that meets a particular need, or a delicious bar that has literally saved lives. In both venues, it’s gratifying to build a cool, helpful, desirable thing.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m looking forward to a grass-roots campaign to increase our direct sales. I enjoy the ability to be able to supply something amazing to the end-consumer without layers and layers of men in the middle. I get lots of positive feedback, unsolicited, from happy customers, and that is what makes it all worthwhile.

Pricing:

• 16 count 2.5oz bars @$39

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ivan.bar
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theivanbar/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theivanbar/ 

Image Credits
Adam Estabrook, Kiki Romanik, Polly Pelly